ACADEMIC WRITING CHALLENGES: AN INTERACTIONAL ANALYSIS OF TUTOR–STUDENT TUTORIALS IN SELECTED UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

Authors

  • Brenda M. Wambua Lecturer of English and Linguistics, Department of Language and Performing Arts, Daystar University, Kenya
  • Geoffrey Maroko Professor, Department of Linguistics and Languages, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Machakos University, Kenya
  • Larry Ndivo Lecturer of Literature, Department of Linguistics and Languages, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Machakos University, Kenya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejals.v9i3.750

Keywords:

academic writing, writing challenges, writing centres, tutorial session, interaction, first-year students, academic literacy, Kenya

Abstract

Academic writing is central to university learning, yet students’ difficulties with academic writing extend beyond grammatical accuracy to conceptual, rhetorical, organisational, procedural, linguistic and source-use practices. While previous research in Kenya has documented students’ academic writing challenges, limited attention has been given to the challenges students present and articulate during writing centre tutorial sessions. This study examines the writing challenges presented by first-year university students during writing centre tutorials in four selected Kenyan universities. Data were drawn from 12 audio-recorded tutorials involving 12 student writers and 11 tutors and supplemented by post-tutorial student interviews. The study employed a qualitative descriptive design and inductive thematic analysis. Descriptive frequency counts were used to make patterns in the qualitative data visible. The analysis identified 11 categories of writing challenges, with 76 coded occurrences across the tutorial corpus. APA citation, referencing and formatting was the most frequently occurring category (20 occurrences, 26.3%), followed by thesis statements and argumentation (12, 15.8%) and essay structure (8, 10.5%). The key finding was the interconnectedness of individual challenges. Topic narrowing was closely related to thesis development and organisation; textual engagement was linked to summary, paraphrase and source integration; and language concerns intersected with academic voice and argumentation. The study was anchored in Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory and Gass and Mackey’s interactional perspective. The findings demonstrate that tutorial session interactions make students’ writing challenges visible as they negotiate writing decisions. The study contributes context-specific evidence from Kenyan university writing centres.

Author Biographies

  • Brenda M. Wambua, Lecturer of English and Linguistics, Department of Language and Performing Arts, Daystar University, Kenya

    Brenda Wambua is a Lecturer of English and Linguistics in the Department of Language and Performing Arts at Daystar University, Kenya. She is a PhD student (Applied Linguistics) in the Department of Linguistics and Languages, School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Machakos University, Kenya. She holds an MA in English and a B.Ed.  English and Literature. Her research interests are writing centre pedagogy, second language learning, genre analysis, academic writing, peer tutoring, artificial intelligence and writing, reading skills and language policy and planning.

    ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4937-8752

  • Geoffrey Maroko, Professor, Department of Linguistics and Languages, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Machakos University, Kenya

    Geoffrey M. Maroko is a Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Languages, School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Machakos University, Kenya. His current teaching and research interests are language and ecology; language and healthcare; language syllabus and materials design; communication in research, professional and social settings; language management and planning; language teaching and testing; and language and technology.

    ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1747-6753

  • Larry Ndivo, Lecturer of Literature, Department of Linguistics and Languages, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Machakos University, Kenya

    Larry Ndivo is a senior Lecturer of Literature in the Department of Linguistics and Languages, School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Machakos University, Kenya. He is the Dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences. He has research interests in indigenous languages, language use in diverse contexts, postcolonial literature, and life narratives. He has previously conducted research in confessional narratives in the Department of Trauma, Forgiveness and Reconciliation at the University of the Free State, South Africa.

    ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4967-0980

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Published

2026-10-03

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 3 (2026)

Section

Articles

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